When Wayne was a Whippersnapper: Underground Railroad

By PAUL LOCHER
Staff WriterPublished: November 7, 2012 4:00AM

FREDERICKSBURG -- One of the most talked about but least documented chapters of American history during the Civil War was the Underground Railroad, a network of roads, sympathizers and safe houses used in spiriting slaves fleeing southern plantations northward to safety.

While it has long been alleged Wayne County was something of a hotbed of Underground Railroad "stations," original source documentary evidence is almost nonexistent, and the "evidence" of its happening is stories that have been passed down verbally with increasingly fuzzy attribution, or odd rooms found in old farmhouses that are frequently attributed to having been built to hide escaping slaves, even though there could be dozens of other plausible explanations for such spaces.

A couple of the best documented stories about the Underground Railroad operating in Wayne County come from Fredericksburg. They involve the farms of a family named Crocco and that of William Hutcheson, both located north of Holmesville, and that of Tom Smith, located several miles north of Fredericksburg.

On one occasion, Crocco is said to have come to the Hutcheson farm driving a covered surrey pulled by two black horses. In the surrey were two black girls in need of medical treatment. The girls had been attacked by dogs, and one had a breast that had been nearly torn off.

After getting bandages from Hutcheson, Crocco continued on to Fredericksburg where he picked up Dr. James. Martin at his residence. Martin treated the girls as Crocco drove to the Smith farm.

Upon arriving at the Smiths', the party drove into the barn, changed the team of black horses for a pair of grays, and continued on their way. Shortly after Crocco had left Hutcheson's farm, however, officers arrived at the house, inquiring about a surrey pulled by a black team.

The Hutchesons directed the officers to the Moreland Road. Seeing a cloud of road dust in the distance, the offices gave pursuit, but upon overtaking the surrey at the public square in Wooster, found the conveyance to contain only white passengers.

On another occasion, there were between 15 and 20 blacks preparing to eat breakfast from long planks that had been arranged on wooden horses in the Hutcheson farmhouse to form tables. Crocco arrived on horseback and informed the Hutchesons a group of slave hunters were on the way and would arrive in a few minutes. The slaves instantly escaped out the doors and windows of the house.

When the slave hunters arrived, they found the Hutcheson family calmly fixing breakfast, with no evidence of a large table. As was the custom, the family invited the officers in to eat with them, which they did.

The Hutchesons then held family worship, reading the longest Psalm (all 119 verses) and making a lengthy prayer. By the time the officers were able to tear themselves away and continue the hunt, the slaves had ample time to get well away.

The story was told by Robert McKay, grandson of William Hutcheson.

On another occasion, the story is told, Dr. Martin had just attended to a couple of blacks suffering Negro chicken pox. On the way home, before being able to clean up, he was stopped and asked to examine the children of a local "copperhead" (southern sympathizer) who had taken ill.

Unable to caution the family, Martin examined the children. About 10 days later the whole family came down with Negro chicken pox and wondered how on earth they had contracted the illness.

Source: "A History of Fredericksburg and Community" by the Fredericksburg Board of Trade and Fredericksburg Ruritan Club

Friday: J.B. Eberly, patron saint of education

Reporter Paul Locher can be reached at 330-682-2055 or plocher@the-daily-record.com.